Before you listen: Tamara shares more vulnerability in this episode than ever before. Naming what was done to our bodies, as children, as women, as spiritual seekers, is both sacred work—and tough work. If you feel big feelings or body memories, you’re not alone. Tamara felt them, too, recording this. This is for anyone reclaiming a sense of home in their own skin.

How do you even begin to reclaim a body that was never truly yours? In this healing, tender episode, Tamara explores the hidden and not-so-hidden ways the Mormon church—and other controlling systems—train you to surrender your body, your autonomy, your right to rest, your right to say no. She shares raw and rarely-heard personal stories: - The moment she realized even at age 34, a prophet could convince her to remove a precious second earring - The visceral trauma of washing and anointing ceremonies - The shame and confusion of fertility treatments - The exhaustion of never being allowed to rest, and the doctrine used to override physical need - The deep grief and eventual reclamation through tattoos, piercings, and finally, agency

You’ll hear concrete tools for reclaiming your physical “yes” and “no”—and understand why church doctrine about your body matters for your recovery.
If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, struggled with shame, or wondered if your temple is still sacred outside of Mormonism, this episode is an invitation to come home to yourself again.

• How modesty, garments, and "temple worthiness" shape body relationship from a young age
• General Conference and earring doctrine—when male leaders have more say over your ears than you do
• The real impact of temple washing and anointing: ritual, consent, and embodied aftermath
• Fertility pressure and the meaning of womanhood in Mormon doctrine
• Doctrine and Covenants, Alma, Isaiah, Hinckley—how “never get tired” became gospel
• The cost: chronic exhaustion, body numbness, performance, shame for needing rest
• The sacred act of tattoo and piercing—visible declarations that “this body is mine”
• Step-by-step tools for reclaiming body sovereignty, honoring no, grief, and self-care - Why your embodied existence is spiritual, and how the Divine never required your bodily submission

Resources & Links

Free Sacred Intimacy Snapshot

Free 15-minute Guided Meditation for Religious

Connect: DM me on Instagram/Facebook – share your reclamation story, ask a question, or simply be witnessed

What stories has your body carried? How are you reclaiming your body as sacred, as yours?

DM Tamara, share your journey, or take the Sacred Intimacy Snapshot to see where your freedom journey begins.

Next episode: Freedom of Association – when leaving means losing everyone, and how to find your people again.

reclaim bodily autonomy after church, Mormon temple garment story, spiritual abuse and women’s bodies, washing and anointing Mormon, tattoo reclamati

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🌿 The Inner Light Companion is hosted by Tamara Ridge, LMFT — guiding spiritually curious souls into deeper connection, intuitive healing, and divine remembrance.

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